Process for making character carriers for composing machines



Aug, 28, 1923.

P. L. HILL. PROCESS FOR MAKING CHARACTER CARRIERS FOR COMPOSING MACHINES Original Filed Aug. 12, 1919 I IN ff) L. zzdersa W Patented Aug. 2c, 1923.

UNITED -IPIERCY L. HILL, DECEASED, LATE OF NEW'YORK, N. Y.; BY JAMES W. ANDERSON,

ADMINISTRATOR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS FOR MAKING CHARACTER CARRIERS FOR COMPOSING MAEHINES.

Original application filed August 12, 1919, Serial No. 317,044. Divided and this application filed February 5, 1923.

To all wiwm it may concern:

Be it known that PERCY L. HILL, formerly a citizen of the United'fStates, residing in New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, but now deceased, did during his lifetime invent certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for Making Character Carriers for Composing Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will .enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to composing machines, such as the linotype, the intertype, and other machines where the character carrying elements are provided with indicating characters for the guidance of the operator,

etc., and with respect to its more specific features to the character carrying element for such machines as, for instance,exemplified in that of the linotype machine, and others involving line casting operations.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a simple and practical process for treating the reference faces of the character carrying elements so as tomore readily permit the reading of the characters on such faces and eliminate eye strain heretofore resulting to the composing machine operator when viewing the assembled characters under usual operative conditions.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a process of the character referred to and wherewith the reference faces of the character carrying elements are placed in a condition for .quick and accurate deciphering of any reference character or of a line of such characters thereby increasing the outputeof the composing machine under usual operative conditions.

Otherobjects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and the relation and order of one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others thereof, which will be exemplified in the process hereinafter disclosed, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

. with the process;

Serial N0. 617,030.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification and wherein siml lar. reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views,

Flgure 1 is a perspective View of a character carrying element, the reference face of -wh1ch has been treated in accordance Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1 showing the opposite side; and

F 1g.v 3 is a sectional detail of a portion of the character carrying element.

For the purpose of disclosing the inventlon, there 1s illustrated a character carrylng element, or carrier, 1, .such as is ordinarily employed in a linotype machine, but treated in accordance with the present process. ThlS element is provided with the usual appurtenances which cooperate in the machine to select and deliver it to the type cast ng operation and to distribute it after casting. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is adapted for other types of composmg machine and for character carrying elements of different kinds.

, The numeral 2 indicates one edge of the carrier, 1, on which is a character, such as a letter, numeral, or other sign to be reproduced in the composition; On the opposite edge of the carrier is another character, indicated by the numeral :3, being, 1n the present instance, the letter H, which indicates to the operator that the character on the opposite edge is also the letter K.

The foundation of the carrier, 1, may be of brass or other metal, and the indicating character, 3, is impressed therein, as by being sunk, or made intaglio, in its edge" The operators of composing machines of the kind referred to work under conditions which not only render it difficult to read the indicating characters of the carriers, but cause severe eye strain, due to the constant attention required in reading for lon periods of time under poor lighting conditions, most of the work being. done under electriclight. The character carrying elements of a composing machine as, for instance, the matrix or matte of the linotype usual indicating character on the reference face 4 of the character carrying element is merely a-properly shaped recess in the edge of the carrier, the recess being an 1ndenta tion in the reference face and consequently of the same color as the surrounding surface. In consequence both the indicating character and the surrounding surface of the reference face are of the same color and the indicating character may only be visibly distinguished with difiiculty. In use, the 1ndented indicating characters become filled with dust, grease, and the like so that in the majority of instances as time passes it be-.

comes even more diflicult (to visibly distinguish the indicating character and ncreased eye strain in the effort to distinguish the indicating character results. When it 1s remembered that the-positioning of an 1mproper character in a single line ln a l1uotype machine requires the recasting of the entire line, the increased efliciency by reason of any elimination of tendency to error in this regard is apparent. In accordance with the present invention the indented 1ndicating character, 3, is made to contrast sharply in color with the surrounding surface or field, 4, of the reference face, and

- the light reflecting quality of the surroundstance, by dazzling the sight. According to ing surface 4 is reduced so that the rays from-this source donot impair the clear view of the indicating character as, for 1nthe present invention the reference face is colored to make it dark, and the indicating character is given a'lighter color sharply contrasting with the dark surrou-ncling field. Black and white, respectively, are sultable contrasting colors. The indicating character may be filled in with a white paint or pigment. This coloring matter preferably fills the indented character flush with the surface in which it lies, as illustrated in Fig. 3, which shows a section of a P01131011. of the carrier,.1, transversely of the cross line 5 1n the letter H.

will be seen sharply contrasting in color with the field, 4.

Furthermore not only is the reference face of the carrier colored, as described, but its light reflecting quality is reduced relative to that of the brassy surface of the carrier and Meets? also reduced relative to that of the treated or white indicating character, 3. It is found that treatment of the surface, 4, as, for instance, by oxidizin said surface to make it black, also results in reducing or deadening its light reflecting quality. In consequence the white indicating character, .3, is viewed in bold relief against the much darker surrounding field and it will be noted that although the indicating character is white, and has consequently a high light reflecting quality, its area is relatively small and not adapted under operative conditions to reflect light in such amounts as to interfere with the clear view of thischaracter. On the other hand, the area of the surrounding surface is relativelylarge so that a.v great amount of light would be reflected from this surface and interfere with the operators view of the indicating character, were it' not for the fact that the light reflecting quality of this surface is of a subdued character and preferably deadened. A surface for the field, 4, having the subdued light reflecting quality of a carbon coated surface would be desirable, although an unpolished, darkened surface, as obtained by the treatment hereinbefore referred to, answers the purpose in a highly efficient; manner.

The coloring for the field and for the indicating character should be as permanent as possible, and the filling for the indicating character should be such as to be firmly retained in place.

Since certain changes may be made in carrying out the above process without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that-all matter contained in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all ofthe generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

The present application is a division of the application of Percy L. Hill "filed August 12, 1919, Serial No. 317,044.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The process of coloring a light colored metallic matrix adapted for line casting machines and having on its edge an indented indicating character, said process including treating said edge including said indicating character to make the same dark or black and thereafter filling in the indented indicating character with a lighter colored or white pigment.

2. The process of coloring a light colored metallic matrix adapted for line casting machines and having on its edge an indented indicating character, said process including In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, 10 treating said edge dincludinglsalild indfiicating in the presentce of two Witnesses. character to dea en the i t re ectin quality thereof and also to niike the semi Ad JAMES ZQ L dark or black, and thereafter filling in the 'lg g I: 6 estate of Way indented indicating character with a pigease ment of high light reflecting quality and Witnesses:

contrasting sharply in color with the re- M. MCDERMOTT,

sultant treated edge. -M. A. CASHIN. 

